Digestive Churnas: Ayurvedic Spice Blends for your Dosha

One of the main teachings of Ayurveda is that the root cause of all disease is improper digestion. Hence, having a healthy digestive system that is optimally functioning is of main concern when healing yourself from an Ayurvedic perspective. That is why we are excited to officially announce the launch of our dosha-specific, digestive Spice Blends! These blends were created to support the healthy functioning of your digestive system and to introduce you to two Ayurvedic herbal categories- dipanas and digestive churnas. 

A dipana is an herb that helps to stoke jatharagni also known as the digestive fire. Herbs like cumin, coriander, fennel, turmeric, pippali, cardamom and ginger are considered dipanas and, when taken just before or with meals, these intuitive herbs regulate and balance digestion. In Ayurveda, the classical method of consuming dipanas is through ingesting a digestive churna. A digestive churna is a blend of powdered dipanas, or digestive herbs, mixed with warm water. Ayurveda recommends consuming a digestive churna 30 minutes prior to each meal in order to awaken jatharagni (also known simply as agni) and kickstart the process of healthy digestion. Dipanas may also be added to your diet by incorporating them into your cooking or even by simply sprinkling them on top of your meal before eating. Thus, we would like to encourage you to get creative in the kitchen and use our dosha-specific Spice Blends not only as digestive churnas, but also as your go-to all-purpose spice blend to use while preparing your favorite meals and snacks. 

Our Vata Spice Blend is formulated for people experiencing vishama agni or variable digestion. Variable digestion is associated with an imbalance in vata dosha and can manifest in the physical body as an irregular appetite with the tendency to snack rather than sit down for full meals. Those with variable digestion may be challenged with digestive upset in the form of non-smelly gas, bloating, constipation and/or irregular bowel movements, alternating from constipation to diarrhea. In the emotional body, vishama agni may be expressed through fear, anxiety, nervousness and overwhelm. If you are currently experiencing any of these symptoms of variable digestion, then we recommend trying our Vata Spice Blend comprised of ginger, cumin, licorice and cinnamon. Together these dipanas bring balance and regularity to the digestive system. The warming actions of ginger and cinnamon enkindle agni, cumin dispels gas, while licorice restores hydration to the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. 

Our Pitta Spice Blend is intended for people experiencing tikshna agni or excessive heat in the digestive tract. Excessive heat can also be understood as hypermetabolism which is when agni is so high that the small intestine does not have the opportunity to absorb and assimilate nutrients from food. Instead, the excessive heat and intensity of tikshna agni burns up the nutrients, leaving the tissues of the body depleted and undernourished. The heat, intensity and fiery nature of tikshna agni is most correlated with an imbalance in pitta dosha. When tikshna agni occurs, one may experience an insatiable appetite, loose stools and/or diarrhea, hyperacidity, heartburn and hot flashes. Mentally, one can become angry, irritable and critical of oneself and others, especially if a meal is skipped. The term “hangry” is certainly a tikshna agni phenomena! In order to balance the fiery nature and excessive heat associated with tikshna agni, we have formulated our Pitta Spice Blend which contains cooling and soothing dipanas of coriander, fennel, cumin, cardamom and turmeric to reduce inflammation and acidity and help restore balance to the digestive tract. 

Our Kapha Spice Blend is created for people experiencing manda agni or suppressed digestive fire. Manda agni can also be explained as hypometabolism, or an overly slow metabolism, that is associated with an imbalance in kapha dosha. Symptoms of manda agni can be sluggish digestion, feeling heavy and nauseous (especially after meals), congestion throughout the body, constipation due to weakened peristaltic action and/or mucus in the stools. In the mind, manda agni can manifest as feeling dull, unmotivated and desiring excessive sleep. The Kapha Spice Blend is designed to stoke the digestive fire to burn brighter. Heating dipanas of ginger, pippali, black pepper and cinnamon deliver the light, sharp and purifying qualities necessary to restore balance to the heavy and watery nature of manda agni.

Our Tridoshic Spice Blend is designed for people with sama agni or balanced digestion. Sama agni can occur with any constitution but is commonly experienced by people who are considered tridoshic in nature. (To be tridoshic means that you have an equal balance of all 3 doshas within you. Not sure what your predominant doshas are? Take our Discover Your Dosha Quiz!) Even though one’s digestion may be balanced currently, maintaining healthy digestion is important and dipanas are still encouraged in Ayurveda in order to aid in the proper absorption and assimilation of nutrients from food. Also, dipanas can assist the body in cleansing itself of any ama or toxic residue that can remain in the digestive tract after absorption and assimilation of nutrients is complete. Our Tridoshic Spice Blend calls upon the 3 Brothers of herbal medicine- cumin, coriander and fennel- in order to maintain sama agni and enhance overall health and wellbeing. 

Mother nature has bestowed upon us a diverse array of healing plants and we are forever grateful for their divine wisdom. Our hope in launching the PAAVANI Spice Blends is that these formulations will help you to further connect with the innate wisdom of the plant world and develop a deeper relationship with the digestive herbs that can support you and your unique needs. May our intentionally formulated Ayurvedic Spice Blends with their exquisite fragrance, delicious taste, intuitive nature and healing actions benefit your belly and inspire many creative endeavors in your kitchen!